Dozens of homes damaged by flooding as heatwaves make way for thunderstorms
Dozens of homes have been damaged by flood water amid thunderstorm warnings and heavy rain after most of England and the whole of Wales was declared in drought.
The Met Office said thundery showers across England and Wales could cause 75mm of rain in just 12 hours in some areas after the summer saw five heatwaves hit the UK. Forty flood alerts, where flooding is possible, were issued by the Environment Agency (EA) across the Midlands, Yorkshire and South East on Thursday morning. A flood alert has also been issued for the River Maun at Edwinstowe and Ollerton in Nottinghamshire. The EA said river levels at Mansfield The Dykes Gauge are rising rapidly due to the nature of the catchment and Old Rufford Road is most at risk. A yellow thunderstorm warning for parts of the Midlands, East of England, South of England, North West, Yorkshire and Humber and Wales is in place until 10pm on Thursday. A second yellow warning for Lincolnshire, parts of the East of England, parts of Yorkshire, Kent and Medway will be in place from 5pm on Thursday to 7am on Friday. It follows hot weather across the UK which coincided with extremely dry conditions. The Met Office has previously said the UK is on course for its hottest summer on record after five heatwaves, with temperatures of up to 38.1C recorded in London. One flood warning, where flooding is expected, has been issued for the Spadesbourne Brook area of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire. The Environment Agency said properties and roads in this area, including the Midland Waterlife Centre, which is an aquarium and pond centre, may be affected by rising river levels. In Birmingham, West Midlands Fire Service said it was called out to “significant flooding” around Curbar Road, Thornbridge Avenue and Haddon Road on Wednesday evening. It said seven fire engines were called after 32 properties were damaged by flood water near Tame Valley Canal. The fire service, which left the scene at 12.30am, said in a statement: “Firefighters went door-to-door, supporting residents who needed assistance because of mobility challenges. “Many of these people organised accommodation with carers and family members. There were no rescues. “Fire engines and portable pumps were used to clear as much water as possible.” Stephen Dixon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said Lichfield in Staffordshire reported the highest rainfall of 52.8mm between 5am and 9am on Thursday, which he said “is obviously relatively high considering the lack of rainfall recently”. He added: “We’ve seen various thundery showers through the day yesterday and that risk continues through much of today as we’ve got a band of thundery showers moving gradually northwards. “It’s important to note that not everywhere within that warning area will see the heaviest of those downpours. “Thunderstorms by their very nature are hit and miss so it’s hard to pick out individually where they will bubble up with the way the atmosphere works. “But some places through the day could see 50mm again in a relatively short period of time, and possibly up to 75mm of rain through a 12-hour period. “Thunderstorms in the summer aren’t uncommon. However this summer we’ve rarely seen the kind of thunderstorms that often follow the heatwaves that we’ve seen, whereas this time we’re obviously seeing those thunderstorms. “That rain is obviously falling on relatively hard ground, particularly in the south of England, where we’ve seen a real lack of rain over much of the summer in some places. “With that rain falling on relatively hard ground, it’s not absorbed in the same way it might be during autumn and winter where the ground is wetted up a bit. “That can increase that chance of surface water, we’d call it, where that water falls on the surface and moves into different areas and can increase those impacts of some flooding on roads.” The Met Office warned flooding or lightning strikes could cause delays and some cancellations to train and bus services. It added that some communities may be cut off by flooded roads.
Published: by Radio NewsHub